Big Boxing Day Quiz 2014 - Give it your best shot

It’s time to sweep the Christmas cobwebs away and get the grey matter working again on the stories big – and small – of the year.

FIRSTLY, let’s have a little congratulations. You spent yesterday stuffing so much food and drink into your body that you could barely move from the sofa, yet 24 hours later you’ve not only managed to stand vertically, but you’ve dressed (to some extent) and logged onto edinburghnews.com.

So now you’re up and at ’em, why not give your mind a workout too, and see just how much of this year’s news – from sport to politics and entertainment – you have managed to retain.

The questions are devilishly hard – not really – and there’s no prize, except the knowledge that despite the sherry and mulled wine and bucks fizz, the memory is still working reasonably well. Good luck!

NEWS

1 This was the year the Edinburgh tram line finally opened. Can you name the date the first tram left Edinburgh Airport for York Place?

2 Fourteen-year-old Hussein Almasharqah did what to highlight the plight of Syrian refugees?

3 Lothian Buses is never far from the news – this year, though, it was internal staff wrangling that was hitting the headlines. Bus boss Ian Craig kept his job while three directors threatened to leave. But who did quit?

4 Which famous former Hibs player had a street named after him – despite council rules insisting that a person had to have passed away for ten years before such an honour?

5 One of Edinburgh’s five-star hotels lost its fashion house backers in March. What was the name of the Italian designers who pulled out?

6 Who moved into their new pad on Princes Street?

7 Police Scotland were accused of imposing west coast solutions on Edinburgh’s crime problems after what happened?

8 Ninety-four-year-old Tom Gilzean became the eighth person to be given the Edinburgh Award after an amazing year’s fundraising, but do you know how much he collected in his can this year?

9 Why did taxi drivers and cyclists go head-to-head at Haymarket?

10 Who was the council planning to name and shame over their misdeeds?

SPORT

1 Which player scored two goals before missing in the penalty shoot-out as Hearts crashed out of the League Cup semi-finals to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in February?

2 Hibs manager Terry Butcher was sacked following his club’s relegation to the Championship in May. How many homes games did the Englishman win during his tenure? a) Three b) Five c) Seven?

3 The SRU sold the naming rights for Murrayfield Stadium in a four-year deal. What is the ground’s official name now?

4 New chairwoman Ann Budge helped fund the Foundation of Hearts’ takeover of the Tynecastle club by providing a “capital loan” of how much? a) £1.5m b) £2.5m c) £4m?

5 Boxer Josh Taylor was the toast of Prestonpans after securing gold for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. But to which Edinburgh boxing club is he affiliated?

6 North Berwick swimmer Dan Wallace was a star in the pool as he secured a gold and two silvers during the Games. But what did he shout as he touched home for his first medal?

7 Lothians bowler Alex Marshall also struck gold for Scotland in the pairs and fours. What is Marshall’s nickname?

8 Manager Alan Stubbs enjoyed one of his best results of the season so far when Hibs beat Rangers 3-1 at Ibrox in September. Which player scored a double for the Hibees that night?

9Which Edinburgh sports team won the ‘treble’ in 2014, clinching the Premier League, Knockout Cup and League Cup?

10Which two SPFL teams did Spartans beat on their way to reaching next February’s William Hill Scottish Cup fifth round?

POLITICS

1 What was the result in Edinburgh, in percentage terms, of the independence referendum?

2 Why did protesters stage a panda parade outside the Edinburgh International Conference Centre in March?

3 Which cost-saving cutbacks were Police Scotland forced to retreat over following an Evening News campaign?

4 Name Scotland’s Ukip MEP.

5 The arrival of what caused a real buzz at the Scottish Parliament in June?

6 What was Edinburgh Central SNP MSP Marco Biagi’s response when pupils at Boroughmuir High were threatened with a ban on school trips for having brightly-dyed hair?

7 Which champion of the Capital, who died in April, was described as “the flower of Scotland” with “a heart as big as Arthur’s Seat”?

8 Who has been appointed to lead the public inquiry into Edinburgh’s tram project?

9 Which two Lothian MSPs stood for the Scottish Labour leadership against the eventual winner Jim Murphy?

10 Which Edinburgh MP will stand down at next year’s election after 28 years representing the city at Westminster?

ENTERTAINMENT

1 Two major films featuring Edinburgh were both in the running for a Scottish Bafta Award this year. But which was released in cinemas first, Filth or Sunshine On Leith?

2 In Aladdin at the King’s Theatre, Andy Gray’s favourite word this year is “umbrella”. But what was it last year?

3 Lily Allen will bring in 2015 at the Concert In The Gardens. But which band brought in 2014?

4 Which two city theatres initially lost funding in a Creative Scotland shake-up in October?

5 The story of pop legend Frankie Valli was told in which smash hit musical that toured to the Playhouse earlier this year?

6 And I Ran With The Gang: The Story of the Original Bay City Roller premiered at Le Monde on George Street during the Fringe, but who was the original Bay City Roller?

7 Who launched his autobiography, So, Actually . . . at the EICC on Morrison Street in December?

8 How many films were screened during the 2014 Edinburgh International Film Festival? 156, 166 or 167?

9 Which local drama school took to the stage of the King’s Theatre in June to present the Scottish premiere of the hit Broadway musical The Addams Family?

10 What did reality TV star Michelle McManus, Newsnight legend Jeremy Paxman, and stargazer Russell Grant all have in common in 2014?

AND FINALLY

1 He’s A&E medic Dr Daniel Rodgers by day – but can you remember the name of his Mexican, spandex-wearing, wrestling alter-ego?

2 Lunch with an Old Bag, an event at Prestonfield House, raised thousands for The Prince’s Trust, but which larger-than-life TV star helped launch the big day?

3 It’s been a busy year for Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi. But can you name the Edinburgh charity of which he’s agreed to become patron?

4 Fancy a catty latte or a moggychino? A new cafe was launched, and its speciality was what?

5 The future looked bright for the Canongate in February as it was proposed to give the road setts a new shade. What was it?

6 Sir Chris Hoy didn’t compete, but his muscles were still needed at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Can you remember why?

7 April 1 means an April Fool. What was the Evening News’ far-fetched tale this year?

8 How does a Buddhist monk forbidden from handling money accept cash donations when he wants to build a £1.3m temple?

9 For 150 years this store has been serving customers. Do you know who was celebrating?

10 Who said: “Money can’t buy happiness but it can buy a jetski and who doesn’t smile on one of them?”

ANSWERS

NEWS

1. May 31

2. Refused to eat

3. Chair of the board, Ann Faulds

4. Lawrie Reilly

5. Missoni

6. Apple

7. City saunas were raided

8. £50,000

9. A new bike path ran through the taxi rank, putting cyclists in danger. As a result the rank was moved opposite Haymarket station

10. Dog owners who didn’t pick up their pets’ poo

SPORT

1. Jamie Hamill

2. Three

3. BT Murrayfield

4. £2.5m

5. Lochend

6 ‘For freedom’

7. ‘Tattie’

8. Jason Cummings

9. Edinburgh Monarchs (speedway)

10. Clyde and Morton

POLITICS

1. No 61% Yes 39%

2. To remind delegates to the Scottish Conservative conference there are more pandas than Tory MPs in Scotland

3. Plans to axe the front counters at three police stations – South Queensferry, Linlithgow and Tranent – were dropped after more than 1800 people backed our “Save Our Stations” campaign

4. David Coburn

5. Two hives of bees

6. He offered a free lunch and tour of Holyrood to anyone excluded from a visit to the parliament. “Boroughmuir’s a school, not the army,” he said

7. Independent Lothian MSP Margo MacDonald

8. Former Lord Advocate Lord Hardie

9. Neil Findlay, Sarah Boyack

10. Alistair Darling, Lab MP for Edinburgh South West.

ENTERTAINMENT

1. Filth

2. Balloon

3. Pet Shop Boys

4. Royal Lyceum and Traverse

5. Jersey Boys

5. Alan Longmuir

7. John Cleese

8. 156

9. MGA Academy

10. They all appeared on the Fringe

AND FINALLY

1. El Technico

2. Christopher Biggins

3. It’s Good 2 Give

4. The stocking of rare cats for people to stroke

5. Orange

6. He had to open the casket in which the Queen’s message was stuck

7. We suggested the Spanish built tram ticket machines would only accept euros

8. The answer, as Slateford buddhists discovered, was a handheld device that allows giving through mobile phones